In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements? How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? What similarities, if any, did you see between the descriptions of American classes in the Teaching Gap and the Game of School? Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
The game of school is something that I have seen to some extent at all three of my placements this semester. I see students writing down words without thinking while they are taking notes. I see students performing calculations without even understanding what the formulas are for or what the question is even asking them. I have watched students read through laboratory procedures and still have no idea how to perform the lab. Even if the procedure has only 10 short steps they will still ask the teacher to explain what they need to do rather than read it again. These are just some of the examples I am rattling off while I am thinking of the game from the student’s perspective.
Then we have the teacher’s perspective. I have seen teachers correcting papers while students are doing group work, yet the students are not really doing group work because the teacher is not watching the students. While students should be performing inquiry activities, teachers are not wandering the classroom seeing who is on target and who has completely no idea. I have seen teachers lecturing their students from one point in the classroom while three or four students are doing nothing at their desks. On the other hand, I have learned first hand that teaching is a fine-tuned juggling act that must take years to perfect, and that even when you are trying your hardest not every child will engage every day.
Teachers do use strategies that beat the game. I have also seen teachers use hooks that have students on the edge of their seats. I have seen teachers incorporate multiple intelligences into their practice to reach out to students who may not enjoy their subject. I have seen teachers that treat their students like scientists on a quest for learning through field botany assignments or through taking the time to explore the unexpected in a lab activity.
While thinking about my own teaching philosophy, I have realized exactly what I have signed up for. I believe that much of my time at home will be spent planning activities and correcting papers that I will never have time to complete during the day if I truly want to engage my students. Frequent formative assessment will be necessary with higher level questioning to see who really understands the topics and not just going through the motions. I will need to reach out to fellow colleagues to see what activities work best for them. The use of resources from other colleagues and the fine art of changing those lessons to work best for my students individual needs will help me to diversify my instruction. In my classroom I hope to design activities that my students will be interested in which will be a piece to my relationship-centered instruction.
The game of school is something that I have seen to some extent at all three of my placements this semester. I see students writing down words without thinking while they are taking notes. I see students performing calculations without even understanding what the formulas are for or what the question is even asking them. I have watched students read through laboratory procedures and still have no idea how to perform the lab. Even if the procedure has only 10 short steps they will still ask the teacher to explain what they need to do rather than read it again. These are just some of the examples I am rattling off while I am thinking of the game from the student’s perspective.
Then we have the teacher’s perspective. I have seen teachers correcting papers while students are doing group work, yet the students are not really doing group work because the teacher is not watching the students. While students should be performing inquiry activities, teachers are not wandering the classroom seeing who is on target and who has completely no idea. I have seen teachers lecturing their students from one point in the classroom while three or four students are doing nothing at their desks. On the other hand, I have learned first hand that teaching is a fine-tuned juggling act that must take years to perfect, and that even when you are trying your hardest not every child will engage every day.
Teachers do use strategies that beat the game. I have also seen teachers use hooks that have students on the edge of their seats. I have seen teachers incorporate multiple intelligences into their practice to reach out to students who may not enjoy their subject. I have seen teachers that treat their students like scientists on a quest for learning through field botany assignments or through taking the time to explore the unexpected in a lab activity.
While thinking about my own teaching philosophy, I have realized exactly what I have signed up for. I believe that much of my time at home will be spent planning activities and correcting papers that I will never have time to complete during the day if I truly want to engage my students. Frequent formative assessment will be necessary with higher level questioning to see who really understands the topics and not just going through the motions. I will need to reach out to fellow colleagues to see what activities work best for them. The use of resources from other colleagues and the fine art of changing those lessons to work best for my students individual needs will help me to diversify my instruction. In my classroom I hope to design activities that my students will be interested in which will be a piece to my relationship-centered instruction.